1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing apparatuses and methods and programs therefor, and in particular, to an image processing apparatus and method and a program therefor for enabling a user to intuitively and efficiently adjust shooting settings.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, digital cameras have become more sophisticated and advanced. Accordingly, shooting settings that the user can select have increased in number.
Various settings are adjusted by the user by, for example, operating a cross key and a determination button while looking at a menu screen displayed on a display unit including a liquid crystal display (LCD) disposed on the back of a digital camera (on the side opposite to a lens).
For example, when the user wants to change the exposure setting, the user selects an item relating to shooting from the menu screen, further selects an item relating to the exposure setting from among items displayed when the shooting item is selected, and further selects a specific value (exposure value (EV) ( . . . , −1.0 EV, −0.3 EV, +0.3 EV, +1.0 EV, . . . )) to use, thereby changing the exposure setting. A digital camera menu is described in, for example an article entitled “IT Media life style: Full-auto de tanoshimeru usugata daigamen digital camera (A full-auto thin large-screen digital camera) “COOLPIX S1”, May 11, 2005 (searched on Aug. 9, 2005), which is accessible online at URL=http://www.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0505/11/news087—2.html.